2017 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid on-sale 09 | 02 | 2017
THE SECOND GENERATION Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid is now on sale at Scottish dealerships; prices start from £34,895 for the entry-level Business Edition Plus. First deliveries of the car — which officially returns 283mpg — are scheduled for March 1. (Related: Roadtest — Toyota C-HR 1.8 Hybrid CVT)
Add a sunroof — which charges the battery when the sun shines — and the price for the entry-level rises to £36,395, while the range-topping Excel will set you back£37,095.
All models in the new Prius Plug-in Hybrid range are eligible for the Government's £2500 grant for plug-in hybrid (PHEV) buyers. A 100,000-mile/five-year warranty is standard.
Though the plug-in Prius has sold in significantly lesser number in Scotland compared to its regular Prius sibling, bosses at Toyota believe this could change dramatically and swiftly if the Scottish Government and local councils dramatically cut CO2 outputs for cars in cities.
Externally the new Prius Plug-in Hybrid looks old slightly different to the regular Prius. It does though have a longer rear overhang, a higher rear spoiler and new LED lights front and rear.
It’s also larger than its predecessor, being 165mm longer and 15mm wider and 20mm lower. It also has an impressive aerodynamic drag factor of 0.24.
Business Plus models are available with optional solar panels on the roof that charge the battery when the sun shines, including when the car is parked and turned off.
Inside the cabin, Toyota says there’s a “more engaging” driving position. There’s certainly a high centre console and the layout is more akin to that of a luxury coupé. The cabin is dominated by centre cluster which feature 4.2in TFT screens and a wireless phone charging tray.
Standard on both versions is Toyota's Safety Sense package, which includes automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning with steering control. Further safety features are available as options, including blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.
Both models get a host of infotainment and kit as standard, including an 8.0in infotainment touchscreen, a head-up display, two 4.2in TFT information screens and a rear-view parking camera.
There’s also a wireless phone-charging area, DAB radio, sat-nav, a rear-view parking camera and Bluetooth, as well as automatic lights and 15in alloys. Step up to the Excel and you also get automatic wipers and front and rear parking sensors.
The 2017 Prius Plug-in Hybrid can drive up to 39 miles — more than double the 14-mile range of its predecessor —can reach 84mph, in electric-only mode.
Officially — and certainly nowhere near what will be achieved in ‘real word driving’ — the new model returns 283mpg. It does though emit just 22g/km of CO2, the best figures yet achieved by any PHEV.
Power from the new car’s 8.8kWh lithium ion battery, which is twice the capacity of the previous Prius Plug-in Hybrid’s, is sent through Toyota's new Dual Motor Drive System — one motor 22.5kW, the other 53kW; this represents an 83% boost in EV power over the old system.
The electric drive unit works in conjunction with an 97bhp version of Toyota’s 1.8-litre four-cylinder petrol engine; mated to the electric motors, overall power is 120bhp.
Toyota has also significantly improved the charging times of the batteries, now taking just two hours to charge up to 65% of capacity with a Type II Mennekes connector, or three hours and 10 minutes with a home plug socket.
The speedier charging time is due to the increase in the maximum power the car is capable of handling, from 2.0 to 3.3kW.
Related: Toyota plans busy 2017
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Jim McGill